Cheese wheel cutter

Abstract

A cutter for sectioning cheese in the form of a wheel. The cutter includes an apparatus for a cheese wheel to be divided by a set of horizontal or inclined staggered blades into smaller wheels, the cheese then being placed onto a platform. Another set of blades with a different orientation such as vertical then pass through the smaller wheels. The second set of blades may include one cylindrical blade removing an outer periphery and providing a uniform outer diameter and may include a plurality of linear, diametral blades sectioning each smaller wheel into portions or wedges. A second apparatus moves the portions or wedges to be packaged from the platform, and then retracts so the second set of blades and platform may return to a position for sectioning or portioning a second cheese wheel.

1. A method of cutting a cheese wheel having a central axis into wedges comprising:
 providing a cheese wheel having a flat end and the curved periphery; 
 cutting through the cheese wheel with multiple cutters in a first direction to cut a plurality of slabs substantially parallel to the ends of the wheel and abutted one against the other; and 
 cutting through the abutted slabs with multiple cutters disposed to cut each slab into a plurality of wedges each having an end with a peripheral curved surface. 
 
     
     
       2. A method in accordance with  claim 1 , comprising:
 trimming the curved periphery of the cheese wheel to a substantially uniform diameter so that the wedges are of substantially equal weight and size. 
 
     
     
       3. A method in accordance with  claim 1  comprising:
 providing sliced wedges of varying sizes and weights resulting from the differences in radial distance of the curved periphery from a central axis of the cheese wheel for respective wedges cut from the same cheese wheel. 
 
     
     
       4. A method in accordance with  claim 1 , comprising:
 cutting the cheese wheel with cutters that are staggered to cut the cheese wheel to avoid substantial compressing of the cheese between adjacent cutters. 
 
     
     
       5. A method in accordance with  claim 4 , wherein the cutters are staggered knives for engaging the cheese at successive intervals in time. 
     
     
       6. A method in accordance with  claim 1 , comprising:
 positioning the cheese wheel with the central axis of the cheese disposed vertically; 
 cutting through the cheese wheel with a first set of knife cutters that move relative to the cheese wheel in spaced, substantially horizontal planes to cut the cheese wheel into the slabs. 
 
     
     
       7. A method in accordance with  claim 6 , comprising:
 cutting through a cheese wheel with a second set of knife cutters moving relative to the cheese wheel in substantially vertical planes to cut through the slabs to cut the respective slabs into wedges. 
 
     
     
       8. A method in accordance with  claim 7 , comprising:
 cutting the cheese wheel with profile knives moving vertically to profile the outer peripheral surface of the cheese wheel into a uniform diameter cylindrical surface. 
 
     
     
       9. A method of cutting a cheese wheel having a central axis into wedges comprising:
 positioning the cheese wheel into position at a cutting station; 
 moving the cheese wheel relative to a first set of cutters to cut the cheese into slabs at the cutting station; 
 moving a second set of cutters relative to the slabs to cut the slabs into wedges; and 
 transferring cut wedges from the cutting station to allow positioning of another cheese wheel into the cutting station. 
 
     
     
       10. A method in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the cutting into slabs comprises:
 staggering the cutters and their engagement with the cheese wheel so as not to compress the cheese between adjacent cutters moving through the cheese. 
 
     
     
       11. A method in accordance with  claim 9 , wherein the cutters for cutting the slab are staggered knives movable in a horizontal direction relative to the cheese wheel and wherein the cutters for cutting the cheese wheel into wedges comprise staggered knives in the vertical direction, and moving the staggered knives to necessarily engage the cheese wheel. 
     
     
       12. A method in accordance with  claim 9 , comprising:
 pushing the cheese through the first set of cutters to form the slabs. 
 
     
     
       13. A method in accordance with  claim 12 ,wherein the pushing of the cheese comprises:
 pushing the cheese through stationary cutters. 
 
     
     
       14. A method in accordance with  claim 9 , comprising:
 placing the cheese slabs on a cutting support; and 
 cutting the cheese with vertically moving cutters to form the wedges stacked on the cutting support. 
 
     
     
       15. A method in accordance with  claim 14 , comprising:
 moving vertically traveling staggered cutter comprising: 
 knives in a vertical direction to cut the cheese on the support to form the wedges stacked on the cutting support. 
 
     
     
       16. A method in accordance with  claim 15 , comprising:
 moving the vertical traveling, staggered knives to a position below a lower end for the cheese wheel; and 
 transferring the cheese wedges by pushing the cheese from the support while the vertical knives are below the level of the cheese wheel. 
 
     
     
       17. A method in accordance with  claim 9 , comprising:
 after cutting the cheese wheel into slabs, trimming the outer curved surface of the wheel to form a substantially uniform diameter profile whereby the cut wedges are substantially identical in size and weight. 
 
     
     
       18. A method of cutting a cheese wheel having a central axis and an outer peripheral curved surface into wedges comprising:
 conveying the cheese wheel into a cutting station; 
 pushing the cheese wheel through horizontal cutting blades to form a stack of slabs resting on a cutting support; 
 vertically traveling a profile cutter to cut the peripheral curved surfaces of the stacked slabs into a substantially uniform diameterforthe stack of slabs on the support; 
 cutting the slabs with vertically traveling knives to cut the slabs into substantially equal wedges; and 
 ransferring the cut wedges from the cutting station. 
 
     
     
       19. A method in accordance with  claim 18 , wherein the horizontal cutting blades are staggered in a vertical direction.